Montana update (5/2/12): Clemency hearing for Ronald Smith begins today

Ronald Smith, the only Canadian on death row in the United States, will make a plea for his life at his clemency hearing in Montana today. (Bill Graveland/Canadian Press)

From KXLH

A clemency hearing will begin [today] for Ronald A. Smith, who was sentenced to death after pleading guilty to murdering two men in 1982 near Marias Pass.

The hearing for Smith is scheduled for two days, Wednesday and Thursday, before the Montana Board of Pardons and Parole and we will livestream the hearing on our website.

Smith has asked that his sentence be commuted to life in prison without parole.

A three-member panel of the board will hear arguments from Smith, his attorneys, and attorneys for the state of Montana. The board also will hear public testimony.

The hearing will begin at 9 a.m. on Wednesday in the Powell County Courthouse and will conclude by 6 p.m.

The hearing will resume on Thursday, May 3, at 8 a.m. if additional time is needed for testimony.

Following the hearing, the board has 30 days in which to make its non-binding recommendation to Governor Brian Schweitzer who will decide whether to grant clemency.

Read more:

• LIVE VIDEO: Ronald Smith Clemency Hearing
• Twitter Live: Follow murderer Ronald Smith’s clemency hearing from Montana
• A timeline for the Ronald Smith case
• Canadian on U.S. death row pleads for clemency
• Death row Canadian to plead for mercy at Montana hearing
• Why I’m Pleading Clemency for the Last Canadian on Death Row
• Only Canadian on death row in US asks parole board to let him live out his life in prison
• Convicted murderer to plead for life at clemency hearing
• One safety net remains if death row Canadian Ronald Smith denied clemency
• Hearing ‘final opportunity’ for convicted murderer Ronald Smith
• Montana update (4/29/12)

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